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WATCH: Truck attacks continue; carriers torched on N2 towards Empangeni
The latest attack follows the torching of six trucks at Van Reenen's Pass on Saturday and five trucks in Mpumalanga.
Screengrab of two trucks torched on the N2 towards Empangeni
Two more trucks were torched while waiting on the N2 highway towards Empangeni in KwaZulu-Natal last night at 10 pm.
“It is alleged that armed men attacked the drivers of the two trucks and robbed them of their belongings. The men were forced out of the trucks before the trucks were set alight,” said KZN police spokesperson Jay Naicker.
Police at Empangeni are investigating a case of armed robbery, malicious damage to property and attempted murder.
The attack on the two trucks comes within two days of similar attacks on at least eleven truck drivers Van Reenen’s Pass and Mpumalanga.
Van Reenen’s Pass attack
On Sunday, the N3 toll road heading for Johannesburg from Durban was closed after six trucks were set alight.
South African Police Services (Saps) said a gang of armed men forced six truck drivers to stop their vehicles on the Van Reenen’s Pass.
No injuries were reported, and Van Reenen’s detectives are investigating a case of malicious property damage.
While it was unclear what motivated the arson attack on the heavy-duty carriers, officials believe it may relate to protests in the area.
ALSO READ: N3 Toll: Van Reenen’s Pass closed after trucks torched
Mpumalanga attack
Less than 24 hours after news broke of six trucks being torched on the N3 Van Reenen’s Pass in KZN, Mpumalanga police confirmed five more trucks were torched on the N4 highway in that province.
“Five trucks were set alight yesterday evening at Waterval Boven, and currently, we don’t know the motive for setting those particular trucks alight,” said Mpumalanga police spokesperson Selvy Mohlala.
“Information at our disposal is that two vehicles, a Toyota Hilux bakkie and sedan, stopped those particular trucks before Waterval Boven tunnel and set them alight without telling the drivers what the motive was,” Mohlala said.
Investigations into the attack are underway.
ALSO READ: Another truck attack: Five carriers torched in Waterval Boven, Mpumalanga
Frustrated SA truck drivers
Meanwhile, the torching of the trucks in KwaZulu-Natal and Mpumalanga is possibly linked to the frustrations of South African truck drivers, who feel the government is not doing enough to prevent the employment of foreign nationals.
Independent economist Prof Bonke Dumisa told The Citizen that if the government continued allowing the “nonsense” of torching trucks, South Africa would continue losing hundreds of millions of rands. Dumisa said the government should act decisively now, unlike what they did during the July 2021 riots.
“The South African economy loses at least R100 million every time this happens. The N3 route from Durban is the lifeblood of South Africa, and that’s why they focus on that area,” he said.
Additional reporting by Lunga Mzangwe
ALSO READ: Torching of trucks ‘an attempt to sabotage economy to get attention from govt’
